Fluid-pressure relief valve



f 1930. F. R. JENKINS 1,773,268

FLUID PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE Filed Sept. 1, 1926 z Z %s I 3/ Fbrreaf 71a Jenifl'iz s.

I N V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 19, 1930 UNITED STATES FORREST RAY JENKINS, F CELINA, OHIO FLUID-PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE Application filed September 1, 1926. Serial No. 182,980.

This invention relates to fluid-pressure relief-valves, and especially to those high-pressure relief-valves which are used to maintain a constant pressure on Diesel engines, and

more particularly to the valve-seat of such valves and to its closure.

The principal object of my invention is to supply a valve-seat and closure which will not soon wear out under the great strain and erosion to which such parts are subject, and

which can be easily and inexpensively replaced when such wearing out does finally occur.

By placing my valve within a low-pressure chamber, instead of in a high-pressure chamber as in prior devices, I have also very materially reduced the strain upon the parts and the tendenc to erosion.

A further ob ect is to provide a valve in which the portions subjected to the high pressures to be regulated are reduced to a minimum, thus permitting the valve to be of relatively light and inexpensive construction.

'Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an lllustrative embodiment of the invention, shown in the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation, mostly in section, of the entire valve, with all the immediately associated parts.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the valveseat on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the valve-seat on the same scale as Figure 2.

The main body of the valve is shown at 1, and contains a chamber 2. Into the bottom of this chamber is screwed a removable valveseat 3, which has a tubular hole 4 bored through its center and communicating with a cup-like depression 5 in the top of the valveseat. In this depression there rests a ball 6. The head 7 of the valve-seat is polygonal for the use of a socket wrench, and the stem 8 is threaded to screw into the bottom wall of the body 1.

The high-pressure system to be controlled by the valve communicates with the tube 4 by means of a pipe joint 9 and a tubular passage 10 bored in the body 1.

Resting on the ball 6 and holding it against the seat 3 is a plunger 11. The packing 12 about this plunger is held in place by a gland 13 screwed into the body 1.

Screwed upon the top of the body 1 is a spring-cage 14, in which slide two springplugs 15, 16, held apart by a spring 17. v The lower plug 15 contains a socket into which fits the head of the plunger 11, as shown.

Screwed upon the top of the spring-cage 14 is a cap 18, which carries a bearing for the pivot 19 of a lever 20, and also carries a notched sector 21. The pivoted end of the lever is fashioned into a cam 22 which bears on the upper spring-plug 16 to vary the compression 1n the spring 17 as the lever 20 is shifted. The lever is held in any given position by the engagement of the latch rod 23 with one of the notches on the sector 21.

The fluid, which the valve permits to enter the chamber 2, drains out through the outlet pipe-joint 24.

The lower part 25 of the body 1 passes through a strap 26 or other convenient supporting means, and is threaded to receive a nut 27.

It will readily be seen that the fluid, entering the valve by way of the pipe-joint 9, the passage 10 and the tube 4, will be held back by the pressure of the ball 6 against the cup 5, unless the fluid pressure becomes suflicient to overcome the pressure of the spring 17. when this occurs, the ball will lift, until sufficient fluid has passed into the chamber 2 and through the outlet 24, to reduce the excess pressure to the point where the action of the spring 17 will again close the valve. It is evident that the critical point, at which the excess or deficiency of the pressure will respectively open or close the valve, is at the complete and instantaneous command of the operator; for, depressing the lever 20 will, through the action of the cam 22, depress the spring plug 16 and thereby compress the spring 17, so that a greater pressure upon the ball 6 will be requisite in order to open the valve. Conversely, a raising of lever 20 will permit a lesser pressure to open the valve. The advantages of my invention can best be understood by comparing it with the device in use previous to my improvement. In

the prior device, the seat 3 was made integral with the body 1. This required the scrapping and replacing of the entire body, whenever the seat became worn out, which was a frequent occurrence.

In my device, if the seat should become worn, the seat itself is all that need be thrown away. Furthermore the seat can be made of a more wear-resisting material than the body, so that even this small re lacement occurs less often than the prior arger one.

In my device the direction of flow through the chamber is the reverse of that in the prior art, my chamber therefore being under low pressure. Growing out of this fact, there are many details in which it has been possible to simplify my device over all prior art.

In former devices, as the fluid in the chamber was under high pressure, all the parts in and above the chamber, including the chamber walls themselves, had to be stronger than in my device.

Also, as there is no eat pressure on the sides of the plunger, it oes not need, in order to steady it, to be as long as formerly. The packing may also be almost entirely eliminated. As no rutting occurs on the plunger, it will last practical y indefinitely.

Furthermore, the ball may, like the seat, be made of a very wear-resisting material. If desired, the ball, being the more readily replaceable part, may be made of less wear-resisting material t an the seat, so that the ball will take most of the wear.

In former constructions the cup 5 was made conical, and into it fitted the end of the plunger 11, which was also conical. The fluid, which was under high pressure in the chamber 2, wore ruts in the seat and in the plunger and a rut, once started, would enlarge with increasing rapidity, in much the same manner as the ruts worn by rain-water in a bank of earth. Of course, as soon as, owing to such rutting, there was any appreciable leakage, it would become increasingly difiicult, and finally impossible, to maintain the desired minimum pressure in the system.

In my device, it is inevitable that the opening and closing of the valve will cause a certain amount of random rotation of the ball at the times of change and, in fact, durin all the time the valve is open; so that the all will successively present different portions of its surface to contact with the cup-seat. This will serve to keep the ball, and hence the seat, worn truly spherical at all times, thereby 1nsuring perfect closure and preventing leaka e.

The size of the tube 4 will, in any given case, be dependent upon the circumstances of that case, the optimum bein easily determinable by experiment. It wil be found, when this best size is reached, that the valve is considerably more readily responsive to change of pressure, so that the pressure in the main line may be maintained within narrower limits than those obtainable by former constructions. Also the optimum size of the tube 4 is certain to be lar er than in the prior art, thereby allowin 51o valve to byass the same amount of uid at a lower spee This will materially reduce the tendency to erosion and eliminate the possibility of rutting.

By a not very well known principle of physics sometimes called the ball-nozzle principle, when the valve is open, the flow of the fluid around the ball actually tends strongly to hold the ball to the cup, thus aiding the spring, and thereby reducing the size and strength of the s ring necessary in my device. This princip e will cooperate wit the s ring in quite e ectively preventing the ball rom riding out of its seat into an inoperative position.

From the foregoing it is evident that I have devised a lighter, simpler and more wear-resistin valve; one in which, when any wear does nally occur, only the irreducible minimum of parts need be replaced.

It cannot be said that my invention is restricted to the necessity of employing any specific one of the improvements listed above. For, the use of any sub-combination of several of them, or in fact the use of any single one of them alone, will accomplish a distinct advance over the prior art.

Neither is the upright position of my valve, nor the relative location of its parts-except to the extent claimed-essential to my invention, but either may be varied within rather wide limits. It is therefore to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to any specific form or arrangement of parts, except in so far as such limitations are specified in the appended claims. I intend to avail myself of all equivalents, especially with respect to parts in which my real invention does not inhere.

Furthermore, my invention is not to be limited to valves for any particular purpose, it being evident that my valve could be used as a' safety-valve for steam boilers, and for practically any other purpose requiring a valve to prevent fluid pressure from rislng above a predetermined maximum.

I claim:

1. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a chamber; a ball; a spherical seat for the ball, said seat having a threaded stem for screwing into a wall of the chamber, and a olygonal head for use of a socket wrench; a fine tube leadin through the seat; a plunger to force the ba 1 against the seat; and means for forcing the lunger against the ball; the parts being so disposed and adjusted that, upon the fluid pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the plunger will be forced away from the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube and, upon' the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the plunger will be forced toward the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube, the ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is suflicient to overcome the action of the plunger.

2. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a chamber; a ball; a spherical seat for the ball, said seat having a threaded stem for screwin into a wall of the chamber, and a polygonaliead for the use of a socket wrench; a fine tube leading through the seat; a plunger to force the ball against the seat; and means for forcing the plunger towards the seat; the parts being so disposed and adjusted that, upon the flllld. pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the plunger will be forced away from the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; and, upon the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the plunger will be forced toward the seat, thus preventing the assage of the fluid through the chamber an the tube; the ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is sufficient to overcome the action of the plunger.

3. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a removable spherical seat for the ball; a fine tube leading through the seat; a plunger to force the ball against the seat; means for forcing the plunger against the ball; and a chamber having an opening closable by the ball and seat; the parts being so disposed and adjusted that, upon the fluid pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the ball willtoaslight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the chamber and thetube; and upon the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the ball will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; the ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is suflicient to overcome the action of the plunger, the more expendible part of the valve, namely the ball, being of less wearresisting material than the seat.

4. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a spherical seat for the ball; a fine tube leading through the seat; a plunger to force the ball against the seat; means for forcing the plunger against the ball; and a chamber having an opening closable by the ball and seat; the parts being so disposed and adjusted that, upon the fluid pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the ball will to a slight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; and

upon the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the ball will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluld through the chamber and the tube; the ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is suflicient to overcome the action of the plunger.

5. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a spherical seat for the ball; a fine intake tube leading through the seat; ad'ustable spring means for forcing the ball against the seat; and an outlet; the parts bein so disposed and adjusted that, upon the uid pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the ball will to a slight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the tube and the outlet; and upon the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the ball will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the tube and the outlet; the ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is sufficient to overcome the action of the plunger.

6. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a spherical seat for the ball; a fine intake tube leading through the seat; means for forcing the ball against the seat; a chamber having an opening closable by the ball and seat; the parts being so disposed and adjusted that, upon the fluid pressure exceeding a certam predetermined amount, the ball will to a slight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid throughthe chamber and the tube; and upon the pressure droppin below a certain predetermined amount, the all will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; the

ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is sufficient to overcome the action of the plunger.

7 In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a spherical seat for the ball; a fine tube leading through the seat; means for forcing the ball against the seat; and a chamber having an opening closable by the ball and seat; the parts being so disposed and adjusted that, upon the fluid pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the ball will to a slight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; and upon the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the ball will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube the ball-and-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is suflicient to overcome the action of the plunger.

8. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a spherical seat for the ball, the more expendible part of the valve,

4 1,77a,aee

namely the ball being of less wear-resisting material than the seat; a fine tube leading through the seat; and a chamber having an opening closable by the ball and seat; the parts bein so disposed and adjusted that, upon the uid pressure exceeding a certain predetermined amount, the ball will to a slight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; and upon the pressure droppin below a certain predetermined amount, the all will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube; the ball-and-nozzle princi- 5 ple serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is sufiicient to overcome the action of the plunger.

9. In a fluid-pressure relief-valve, the combination of: a ball; a spherical seat for the ball a fine tube leading through the seat; and a chamber having an opening closable b the ball and seat; the parts being so dispose and adjusted that, upon the fluid pressure exceedin a certain predetermined amount, the ball wi l to a slight extent leave the seat, thus permitting the assage of the fluid through the chamber an the tube; and upon the pressure dropping below a certain predetermined amount, the ball will return to the seat, thus preventing the passage of the fluid through the chamber and the tube the balland-nozzle principle serving to hold the ball close to the seat, when the pressure is sufficient to overcome the action of the plunger. In testimon whereof I aflix my signature.

F RREST RAY JENKINS. 

